Bio engineering

From the smallest unit of life i.e. a cell (impossible to view with naked eye) to a giant blue whale (which may weigh more than 1,00,000 kg) comes under Biology. Biology is one of the most important aspects of human life. It is believed that in the second half of this century, there will be a major revolution in the biological sciences. Towards the end of 20th century, famous magazine Business Week declared the 21st century as ‘The Biotech Century” and the magazine stated "biology will define scientific progress in the 21st century." Along with Biology, Engineering can be considered as one of our lifelines. From a small LED to large ships, everything is the result of developments in engineering. It is almost impossible to imagine our lives without Engineering. Sibling rivalry on account of a TV remote (another very good example of Engineering) is a distinct possibility. So we can say that Biology defines our life and Engineering has changed it completely. And, on this basis, it can be said that the combination of these two will result in a new but totally transformed life.

The above statement, in a way, defines Bio Engineering or Bio Medical Engineering. Bio Engineering is the branch of Engineering, which uses different principles of Engineering and its design concepts to develop life products, which may improve the quality of life. Bio Engineering can be considered as a relatively new branch of Engineering, which tries to solve various problems in the history of biology. In the beginning, this branch had very limited applications but in recent years, Bio Engineering has evolved a lot. From DNA-level researches to energy and environment-related development, this branch of Engineering serves the human race in many ways.

Core Subjects

Study of Bio Engineering helps a candidate in becoming an expert of applying engineering and technology in the unexplored and very complex areas of biology. Human genome project is a very good example of Bio Engineering, where engineers are trying to map and find out the sequence of human genetic structure. Along with that bio engineers are trying to find out a relationship between the organ, tissue, cell and the genetic structure of a cell as this will help in producing medicines for the coming generations.

Above mentioned goals and researches are realized with the course content of All undergraduate & postgraduate programmes. The core subjects of Bio Engineering are:

• Applied Mathematics
• Basic Electrical & Electronics Engineering
• Computer Programming
• Applied Chemistry
• Applied Physics
• Transducers & Sensors for Medical Applications
• Human Anatomy & Physiology
• Biomaterials
• Biomedical Instrumentation
• Biostatistics
• Biological Modeling and Simulation
• Biomedical Digital Signal Processing
• Digital Image Processing
• Networking and Information System in Medicine
• Biomedical Microsystems

Higher Education

Going for a job after graduation is solely a choice of a bio engineer. There are very good higher studies options available for bio engineers in India. A graduate bio engineer may go for a specialized Master degree course as per his/her interest. Renowned institutes like IIT – Kanpur, IIT (BHU) – Varanasi, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology – Rourkela offer the postgraduate technical degree (M.Tech) in Bio Engineering or Bio Medical Engineering.

A graduate may pursue specialization in fields like Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics, Biomaterials, Systems Physiology, Tissue Engineering, Neuro Engineering, Computational Modelling, Clinical Engineering and Rehabilitation Engineering. 

Job Prospects

Bio engineers can get recruited in any public, private or government organization. NGOs also recruit bio engineers to work along with scientists and chemists. One of the major roles of a bio engineer is in the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of diseases. Along with the previously mentioned tasks, bio engineers also help in the improvement of a patient's health and in a patient's rehabilitation. Bio Engineers can work as consultants for different government schemes, NGOs, WHO projects or can associate themselves with various philanthropic works. After having a good experience, Bio Engineers can also lead a team of fellow researchers and establish themselves at a niche position in the field of Bio Engineering.

There is a good demand of Bio Engineers having vast potential. Since the industrial expansion is phenomenal, Bio Engineering is seen as a promising career option among the young aspirants.